How to Start a Church Walking Program

One of the reasons that people aren't more physically active is due to their lack of workout partners, and the accountability that this brings. Being a member of a church walking group solves that problem and makes exercise more enjoyable by walking with the people you know and love. If your church doesn't currently have a walking group, consider taking the initiative to start one so your entire congregation can discover a new way to fellowship, getting fit and having fun.

Instructions

    • 1

      Schedule a meeting with your pastor or other ministry leader at his convenience. Be flexible with the times you're available to meet as he may be busy with many things at once.

    • 2

      Talk to your pastor or church ministry leader about your desire to form a walking group. Let him know about your reasons for wanting to start the group, which may include making exercise more fun, providing a new fellowship opportunity for members, and making members more healthy.

    • 3

      Discuss what ways you can promote the group, recruit members, and recognize them for participation or special achievements. Don't just ask your pastor how you should go about this. Come to the meeting prepared with suggestions and then ask if it's okay to go about things that way.

    • 4

      Find one or two other people to help you recruit members for your walking team and spread the word. It may be easiest to not do this in a formal way with an announcement, but rather by word of mouth. Start with people you are already familiar with in your church that you get along with easily.

    • 5

      Recruit other members for your walking group. There are many ways to do this and the best way will depend on your church. Consider placing an announcement on your church bulletin to meet with you and your walking group partner after service to discuss the formation of a new walking group. You could also include a blurb in your church newsletter or on your church website if it has one. Another option is to have your announcement read along with others during morning worship service.

    • 6

      Tell your group the purpose of the meeting, which is to introduce the idea of a walking group and decide on a time and place to walk together. Before you arrive at the meeting, you and your walking group partner should discuss what days, times and places might work. Decide on the best two times, places and days to meet. Do not offer more than two choices for each, or you may end up spending too much time in your meeting going back and forth. Be prepared for the fact that the two choices you make might not work for everyone, but that's okay and is expected.

    • 7

      Start walking with your group. On the first day you meet to walk, consider bringing bottled water for everyone as a thank you/welcome gift for coming. Advise your group to warm up for 3 to 5 minutes and start slowly. Focus on having a good time. If no one enjoys themselves, they won't keep coming.